• Scientists identify rare jet-forced wind pattern behind 2025 Los Angeles urban firestorm

    ByTeo Blašković

    When powerful northerly winds swept through Los Angeles on January 7, 2025, they unleashed one of the most destructive urban firestorms in U.S. history. A new study attributes those winds to a rare “jet-forced Santa Ana” pattern — a collision of upper-level atmospheric forces that produced gusts over 35 m/s (80 mph), destroyed more than 16 000 structures, and killed 31 people. The event struck ahead of the first winter rain, after months of near-record dryness that left vegetation tinder-dry.

  • Temperature inversions in volcanic valleys and the risks they create

    ByReet Kaur

    Strong nighttime cooling in volcanic valleys produces deep temperature inversions that suppress mixing and allow gases and ash to accumulate in low-lying areas. The timing of morning breakup governs when pollutants disperse, making these atmospheric structures a critical factor in assessing overnight hazards and morning exposure windows.

  • Global assessment documents unprecedented atmospheric impacts of the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption

    ByReet Kaur

    An international scientific assessment published on December 18, 2025, concludes that the January 15, 2022, eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano caused the most severe stratospheric disruption ever observed in the satellite era, increasing global stratospheric water vapor by about 10%.

  • Ancient tectonic plates are driving motion deep along Earth’s core

    ByReet Kaur

    Scientists have produced the most detailed picture yet of the layer 2 900 km (1 800 miles) beneath Earth’s surface where the mantle meets the core. Using records from more than 5 300 earthquakes, they discovered that ancient tectonic plates sink to this depth, flatten against the core, and slowly spread sideways, driving flows in the planet’s deep interior.